Sara

18

Sara spun around, back against the door, bloodied pen still in hand. Darius was glaring at her, blood coating the left leg of his orange jumpsuit. She could only hope that her screams would summon someone. "You won't get out of this alive," he threatened, gripping the shiv tightly. "I'll get you and kill you, just like I killed Leah."

He darted for her and Sara ran, racing around the dangling form of Samuel Cant and around the tables. Darius grunted as he moved after her, limping. At least she had managed to injure him, to slow him down.

If I can just keep moving, I can outlast him, Sara thought desperately. It's my only option. My pen won't beat his shiv.

Then a hand grasped around her ankle and Sara screamed.

Tripping, she hit the concrete hard, her free hand attempting to save her. She twisted around, her face having come within inches of smacking against the hard floor, seeing Michaelson with his hand wrapped around her ankle, expression murderous. His other hand was cupped around his wound, his body curved slightly forward as if in protection.

"You," he snarled, but Sara didn't give him a chance to continue talking. She lashed out with her free leg, kicking his hand with as much strength as she could. Something snapped in his hand and he howled, drawing back reflexively.

But Sara had no time to get up, for Darius was standing over her again, seething with rage. She crawled backward although her fear was demanding her to remain still, trying to override her survival instincts and paralyze her.

If I stop, I die.

It was so simple, so true. If she didn't fight back, Darius would kill her.

No. I'm here to kill him!

Sara rolled to the side, past the table, and scrambled to her feet, pen still in hand. She climbed onto the bench and onto the table top from there, taking a flying leap off the top in Darius' direction.

He stumbled back but couldn't avoid her. Sara hit him like a ton of bricks, sending them both crashing to the floor. Darius stabbed wildly with his shiv and Sara felt something enter her upper arm. She cried out in pain but didn't stop, not even as the blood poured down her arm. She needed to finish this, once and for all.

For Leah!

Stabbing downward with her pen, Sara felt it pierce the skin of his chest. He groaned with pain, striking out with the shiv again as she threw herself backwards to avoid it. Darius grasped the pen and yanked it out, throwing it backward and leaving Sara weaponless.

No, I am not weaponless!

Sara drew herself upright until she was sitting on his chest, kicking his shiv away with her boot. It skittered across the concrete floor, sending blood drops flying everywhere.

I am your worst, I am your worst nightmare.

Without really thinking about it, Sara placed her hands around Darius' throat, tightening. She could still choke him, could still strangle the life from him with her hands. Gagging, he reached up and slapped at her hands, his nails clawing into her skin, but Sara didn't move, didn't even feel the pain.

I hope you choke on those words, that kiss, that bottle.

I hope you choke.

You will choke.

You deserve this, for what you did to Leah!

And suddenly, a memory slapped Sara, so hard she almost loosened her grip.

"Leah, have you ever thought it weird that Fall Out Boy talks a lot about choking people?"

"No."

"Seriously? I mean, some of these lyrics are concerning."

"Only if you take them seriously. Yeah, what they say sounds bad, but I don't take them like they were serious. Everyone wishes people who wronged them ill, in their worst moments. In a bad moment, you can wish anything. Everyone has bad days; can you judge them on that? It's coming out of those moments, those days – that's what counts, Sara. In the end, I don't think they ever meant any of these lyrics seriously. It's not a death threat, it's an emotion. Emotions pass. Always."

Always.

"I'll already be as good as dead. I don't want you dying just to try and save me. If I'm already gone, there's nothing you can do to bring me back."

"Sara, if I'm already dead, what's the point of you dying with me?"

"Forgiveness is such a noble act, isn't it? Grudges just leave you cold and empty inside, all your energy put into such a worthless hate and for what? It just ruins your own day, your own life, not the other person's. I'm glad to see you're on the right path, Miss Lark."

Sara stared down into Darius' face, which was beginning to turn a shade of blue, and instantly released her grip. Rising and staggering backward, she stared down at the coughing form of her brother-in-law.

"I won't kill you," Sara said, panting. I almost...I was this close...I almost fell to the same level for Leah as Darius did for Cedric. "Leah wouldn't want me to."

Darius pushed himself up onto one elbow, gasping for breath. "Well, I'm going to...to kill you...to kill you anyway."

Sara clenched her fingers into fists, determined to fight for her life. Just because she wasn't going to kill Darius out of revenge, that didn't mean she wanted to die, either.

Then the door slammed open.

"Down! Stay down!" one of the prison guards yelled, aiming a taser at Darius. A second guard aimed his own taser at Michaelson, and a third was pointed toward Sara, who had her hands up and stood stock still.

Despite the noise and sudden confusion, Sara felt a great relief spreading through her chest. She had faced her demons and emerged victorious. She had come close to taking a life, to stooping down to Darius' level, but she had stopped. Just in the nick of time, she had stopped, she had found her sense of humanity again, and she had run back out of the collapsing building, narrowly escaping herself.

The man at the desk had been right. Grudges never helped anyone. In the end, it was forgiveness that would save her, not hatred, not anger, not choking Darius to death.

"I forgive you, Darius," Sara murmured, not caring who heard her. "I forgive you."

And in her heart, she knew that she truly did.